Motorsport eNews Issue 79 - November 4-10, 2008 by V8 Sleuth

Skaife: THe announcement/ The reaction

Issue No. 079 4 – 10 November 2008

! K C O H S SBR . .. nd a onsor p S w e N , r New Drive

. .. is r e iv r d 1 F t x e n ’s A u s t r a l ia

Local Driver for Team Kiwi in bahrain

Editorial Editor: Grant Rowley grant@mnews.com.au Deputy Editor: Andrew van Leeuwen andrew@mnews.com.au Staff Journalist: Phillip Mahoney philm@mnews.com.au Executive Editor: Phil Branagan editor@mnews.com.au

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Contributing Writers F1: Will Buxton, Mark Glendenning, Paolo Filisetti Europe: Quentin Spurring, David Addison US: Martin D. Clark, Phil Morris Speedway: Greg Boscato, Geoff Rounds, Darren Sutton, Tony Millard (UK) Rally: Ryan Lahiff Drag Racing: Dave Ostaszewski (USA), Ken Ferguson, John Bosher National: Mark Wicks, Mark Jones, Aaron Shaw, Daniel Powell

Photographers Sutton Motorsport Images, Dirk Klynsmith, Marshall Cass, John Morris/Mpix, AF1 Images, James Smith, Peter Bury, Neil Blackbourn, Chris Carter, Coopers Photography, Geoff Gracie, Ash Budd, Paris Charles, Neil Hammond, Joel Strickland, Mike Patrick (UK)

Issue No. 079 | 04 – Nov 2008

news 4 Stone’s

6 Australia’s F1 driver 9 Ingall 10 888 power 14 Reynolds ... 17 Homecoming ...

chat 22 5 minutes with ... opinion 24 Branagan

Who, How, What Who could it be now? I’d drive with Mark Talking horses Back in Cup Car Wood FFord return Cam McConville

25 Lambden

Bayliss is more The ‘R’ word

36 Shannons Nationals 40 NASCAR 44 World Superbikes

Retirement special Mallala action Edwards on fire The end of an era

race 26 Skaife ...

trade 48 Classifieds

Motorsport eNews is published by Australasian Motorsport News ABN 55 125 120 702 Publisher: C Lambden Copyright: Material published in Motorsport eNews is copyright and may not be reproduced in full or in part without the written permission of the publisher. Freelance contributions are welcome, and while all care will be taken, Motorsport eNews does not accept responsibility for damage or loss of material submitted. Opinions expressed in Motorsport eNews are not necessarily those of Australasian Motorsport News or its staff.

International photos supplied by Sutton Images, www.sutton-images.com – click here to check out their exclusive poster deals

I wonder who this is about to win Bathurst for SBR?

EXCLUSIVE

The New Stone Age Jason Bright to reunite with Stone Brothers Racing – in a third entry! V8 SUPERCARS JASON Bright will join Stone Brothers Racing at the start of next season and the triple titlewinning team is to expand to three entries. Bright will join Shane van Gisbergen and a yet-unnamed driver in Car #4 in the Fordbacked team. He will drive the #25 Falcon FG in the familiar colours of his long-time sponsor Fujitsu, and his secondary sponsors. Motorsport eNews believes that the SBR-Bright deal has been negotiated over much of the current season and that it has been an on-again, off-again proposition – but that it came together finally in little over 24

hours last week. Bright, 35, will relocate to Queensland to be close to Stone’s Yatala headquarters, taking with him several key members of his Britek team. “This is the perfect opportunity to return to the pointy end of the field and the timing for this merger has never been better,” said Bright. “I’ve tried to push the Fujitsu Racing Falcon well into the top 10 and have done so on a number of occasions. However, with a new car coming on stream and the changes in fuel technology, we simply don’t have the resources, or time, to research and develop what is needed to be competitive. “Ross and Jimmy Stone have

made great strides in these areas and already have a racewinning package. I am delighted to be able to return to a team I enjoyed so much success with when I first started my V8 Supercar career and I’m after my first championship, starting right now.” This will be Bright’s second stint driving for Ross and Jimmy Stone. After making his V8 Supercar debut with Garry Rogers Motorsport in 1997, he joined SBR and raced the team’s Pirtek Falcon for two seasons. The highlight of the partnership was his Bathurst win, with Steven Richards, in 1998. The question that remains is, what will happen to Britek’s second existing entry? eNews

believes that there are several (driver) options to take over the #26 entry, with several of the team’s members (who were told of the decision on Friday and today) considering staying with the team to run a single entry from its Dandenong, Melbourne base. The team has a continuing relationship with sponsor Irwin Industrial Tools, while Bright’s backing from Caterpillar and Westrac is believed to be not just continuing but expanding. Ironically, both companies looked set to join James Courtney in his move to Jim Morton’s team, before the Courtney signed for Jim Beam Racing in September. – PHIL BRANAGAN

FOR FORMULA 1, MOTOGP AND WRC NEWS, OPINION AND ANALYSIS CLICK HERE TO

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Jim misses Middle East to focus on FGs V8 SUPERCARS

John Morris/Mpix

we simply don’t have the resources, or time, to research and develop what is needed to be competitive JASON BRIGHT

Dirk Klynsmith

Back to the future: Jason Bright drove with Stone Brothers in 1998, above, and 1999. With Steven Richards, he won Bathurst in ‘98 and the Hidden Valley round in ‘99.

STONE Brothers Racing has taken delivery of its first FG chassis, and team co-owner and engineer Jim Stone will not go to Bahrain in order to get a head start on preparation for the 2009 season. Not having J.Stone (below) at a race meeting is a bit of a novelty. He missed the AGP round earlier this year while he assisted in the repairs after the high level of damage sustained at the Clipsal 500 two weeks prior. But interestingly, the last Australian Touring Car meeting that he missed before then was Perth’s round of the Shell ATCC in 1989! Ross and Jim Stone were working for Andrew Miedecke at the time but, due to the famous fiery crash at Lakeside, Miedecke’s Ford Sierra could not be replaced or repaired in time for the Wannaroo round. Stone Brothers Racing, will have two new FGs ready for the start of the ‘09 season, with new recruit Jason Bright in one of th ecurrent BFs if time is short to have a third FG ready in time for the Clipsal 500.

Marshall Cass

Chris Carter

O ACCESS THE WORLD’S FIRST INTERNATIONAL ‘VIRTUAL’ MOTORSPORT MAGAZINE ...

McConville for Formula FORMULA ONE

AUSTRALIA’S next Formula 1 driver will be Cameron McConville. The WOW Commodore racer will test a 2008-spec Honda F1 car at Motegi on November 25 as part of a story to be broadcast during Network 10’s coverage of the 2009 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park. McConville, 34, had a seat fitting during his visit to the Singapore Grand Prix and, despite the fact that he is one of the fittest V8 Supercar drivers in the paddock, will need the biggest seat that the team has – one designed for test driver Alex Wurz – modified to allow him to drive the car. “I only get into Japan on the Monday night, obviously, there is no time to pour a seat,” he told Motorsport eNews. “So I have been doing a bit of karting and a bit more cardio, just to drop a couple of kgs.”

The driver-turned-TV commentator has had plenty of advice before the drive, with Neil Crompton and Greg Murphy, both of whom drove a decade-old car at Paul Ricard several years ago, suggesting that he use a kart to sharpen up his reflexes. Despite the challenge of driving a car with 25 percent more power than a V8 Supercar but less than half the weight (“I don’t think that I will be giving it any throttle if the steering is not dead-centre”) McConville has been approaching the test seriously by stepping up his training – and not taking himself too seriously. “I have watched plenty of Formula 1 over the last couple of years and I have been paying particular attention to the on-bard camera stuff. It doesn’t look that difficult … does it?”

For more on McConville see pages 22-23

Bahraini for Bahrain V8s Al Masalam to make V8 Supercar debut this weekend V8 SUPERCARS BAHRAIN’s Fahad Al Musalam will become the first Middle Eastern driver to compete in the V8 Supercars Championship Series this weekend. Al Musalam will drive the #021 Team Kiwi Racing Falcon at the Bahrain International Circuit after a deal was brokered between BIC management and TKR. The Bahraini driver won the Lumina CSV Championship earlier this year and, as a prize, was awarded a test with Garry Rogers Motorsport in May. TKR team manager David John told eNews that having Al Musalam is a positive for his team and the sport.

“It’s good for everyone,” he said. “He is over the moon about getting the drive. Fahad has the benefit of track knowledge and he tested quite well with Garry’s team at Winton. Who knows how he’ll go, but he’s got the right mindset. He won’t do anything silly and he’ll drive within himself. That’s all you can really ask for. “We’re not expecting him to set the world on fire, but he is expecting to be competitive and with a bit of home track knowledge, that is only going to help him.” Team Kiwi is coming off its second best result of the year. Steve Owen steered the black Falcon to 19th overall at the last round at Indy. – GRANT ROWLEY

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1 test HSVDT out. HYL in? Will the Dealer Team be replaced by Young Lions? V8 SUPERCARS THE Holden Racing Team’s current ‘sister’ squad, the HSV Dealer Team, could be replaced by a reborn Holden Young Lions team in 2009. With the HSV Dealer Team’s Clayton workshops set to become vacant at year-end (the team’s licences will form the basis of Kelly Racing, as revealed last issue), eNews understands that Walkinshaw Racing is “out in the market” looking for not one, but two replacement licences. The speculation is that the team plans to run two cars from the HSV workshop – originally the home of Holden Young

Lions – possibly for young drivers with some financial backing. Three names we have heard associated with the team are current HSV driver Paul Dumbrell, David Reynolds (who works in HSV’s marketing department) and Jonathon Webb, who is currently a Ford driver but is considered a wanted man on the Holden side of the fence. All three drivers would fill the ‘Young Lions’ role without any drama. Ironically, HYL was set up in 1997 with four drivers – Jason Bargwanna, Mark Noske, Stephen White and Todd Kelly. A number of drivers followed in the team’s history, including Rick Kelly, who joined HYL and V8 Supercars in 2002.

sutton-images.com Dirk Klynsmith

Will Skaife keep racing? Uncertainty over Skaife’s driving future after he confirms full-time V8 Supercar retirement V8 SUPERCARS

involve mentoring HRT drivers Garth Tander and Will Davison. THE door is open for Mark During the conference, host Skaife to continue his racing Neil Crompton revealed that career – but the man himself he had been approached is not certain whether he will by other V8 Supercar team race again, or what he may owners about whether his drive. former team-mate and longSkaife confirmed that he will time friend was ‘on the market’ end his professional driving as a driver. career after the final round of “I have had a million-andthe V8 Supercar Championship one phone calls about this Series at Oran Park next month, particular day, some of them but he has left the door open even from competitors in the to race in a different role. industry, gently trying to suss “I don’t really want to me out,” said Crompton. discount [driving] other things,” “‘Is Mark stopping?’ ‘What’s he said at an emotional press the scenario?’ ‘Might he conference in Melbourne last consider driving for us?’ Now, Wednesday. I might mention that these “It will be a little bit about queries were coming from all how much I miss driving corners of the paddock, and the car during the year and both colours.” what actually happens in that While Skaife’s commitments scenario. The R&D part of my with HRT will prevent him driving is clearly an important joining anyone else, and there part and one that I have a is no lack of interest from desire throughout next year to even long-time rivals (see jump back in the car at some separate story), there is also point, I am sure that in my role the possibility that he could with HRT there will be times take to the track in something next year when I have itchy different. Former team-mate feet and I will want to jump on Jim Richards has said he board. would love to race his former “But in terms of endurance Gibson Motorsport offsider in driving, at this point, I haven’t the Biante Series for Historic made a decision about that.” Touring Cars, while Crompton’s Skaife will continue his recent outing in an Aussie ownership stake in the Holden Racing Car on the Gold Coast Racing Team, and will take brought him a razzing from the role of the Director of his mate which could, possibly, Racing in the factory team. It be addressed on the track is unclear what that role will sometime in the future. entail but it appears that it will – PHIL BRANAGAN

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Dirk Klynsmith

Ingall still wants B1000 with MS V8 SUPERCARS

Dirk Klynsmith

RUSSELL Ingall is still harbouring a desire to share a car with Mark Skaife at Bathurst, but says he is doubtful the Holden star will return as a co-driver next year – with any team. Ingall, who will clearly be the eldest driver in the field when Skaife departs the scene at the end of the season, has previously said that he would love to share a car at the Bathurst 1000 with Skaife, despite the pair’s prickly relationship. And while he concedes the idea might be a bit far fetched, Ingall maintains it would be a PR dream of a pairing. “I suppose in a general sense, if Mark Skaife retired from the sport altogether and was doing nothing at all, then hell yeah, I’d give him a run in the car for sure,” he told eNews. “I don’t see any reason why not. A season off

would probably do him good, to be honest. This year we’ve seen people like Max Wilson spend a bit of time away and go quite good. Jason Bargwanna went good at Bathurst, too. Skaife would probably come back firing, so I’d drive with him. “But the realism is different.” Ingall also warned to not be surprised if Skaife didn’t race in the enduros next season, even for the Holden Racing Team. “If he’s retired from racing, then it’s not an option, so it depends on how retired he is,” he added. “I suppose only Mark knows whether he has given it away for good, but I’d imagine he would have to. If he goes into team management, that’s a full-time gig. And if he’s a team manager, he can’t race for another team.” – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

New horses for the Eights Roland’s boys set for new Kenny Mac powerplants in 2009 V8 SUPERCARS TRIPLE Eight Race Engineering will have a new engine supplier next season. The two TeamVodafone Fords will race in 2009 with motivation from KRE Race Engines. The new supplier

will replace the deal that T8 had with SBR Engines, which dates back to 2004. KRE is run by wellknown engine man Kenny McNamara, whose motors have become known as some of the strongest in Sprintcar racing. The

Capalaba, Queensland-based shop supplies Ausdeck Racing, Robbie Farr and Todd Wanless, among others, and already has V8 Supercar customers in the Fujitsu Series. Ironically, ‘Kenny Mac’ already has a history with

Triple Eight. He was in the engine department of Briggs Motorsport when T8 bought the team in 2003. He moved to SBR Engines in 2004, and stayed part of that program until 2007, when he set up KRE. – PHIL BRANAGAN

Position vacant: Ford Racing manager V8 SUPERCARS

Dirk Klynsmith

FORD Motorsport boss Ray Price has taken on a new role within the blue oval ranks. Price has moved to a senior engineering role within Ford Asia Pacific and Africa, which took effect on November 1. Despite taking on his new job with immediate effect, Price will oversee the Ford’s Motorsport program for the final two rounds at Symmons Plains and Oran Park. He is not going to Bahrain this weekend.

“It has been a great experience and honour to have represented Ford during the last three seasons,” he said in a statement last week. “The progress and achievements during that time have been tremendous.” Ray’s new role will lead upstream/TSO Engineering, downstream vehicle service, technical training, publications and Warranty and Policy activities for the Asia Pacific and Africa Region. He will remain located in Melbourne. Price’s replacement will be announced shortly.

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Winslow confirms Macau drive Aussie Champ secures his F3 finale FORMULA 3

Dirk Klynsmith

Lose the Booze V8 SUPERCARS ALCOHOL is enjoyable, in moderation, but in Bahrain, alcohol is not. Due to the alcohol advertising restrictions, teams that have alcohol related sponsorship will not be able to advertise its regular supporters. Like last year, Jim Beam Racing will carry ‘The Team,’ and

KUMHO Tyres Australian Formula 3 Champion James Winslow will contest the 55th running of the Macau Grand Prix in two weeks. As first forecast in eNews two weeks ago, the British driver will team up with Italian outfit Ombra Racing in a Dallara F308 Mugen Honda for the unofficial ‘World Cup’ event of Formula 3. It will be Winslow’s second start at Macau following his debut at the event as the Asian F3 champion in 2006. Winslow finished 11th that year and wants to improve on that result in 2008. ”I’m very pleased to have been invited to compete at Macau – it’s not an easy race to qualify for because all the leading drivers from every F3 championship around want to show who’s the best in the world,” Winslow said.

”I’m looking forward to getting there to show how good Australian F3 has become and putting in the best possible performance. “It’s been a great year for me, winning the series after plenty of problems off the track, so to finish my F3 career at a race like Macau will be the best way to go out.” There will be no Australian representation at the event, however, Queenslander John Martin will be there for the race to soak up the atmosphere. Winslow will be up against a competitive field, with British F3 Champion Jamie Alguersuari driving for Carlin Motorsport while Japanese title winner Carlo Van Dam will drive for the TOMS Toyota team. Amongst the 30-strong field are cars from teams including Raikkonen Robertson Racing, ART Grand Prix, Signature and Hitech.

Jack Daniel’s Racing will have ‘Jack Lives Here’ on the side of their cars. Tony D’Alberto’s Bottle O Racing car will also undergo a slight facelift, with Hertz rental cars upping the support it started with the green team at Indy last week. Hertz will adorn the side of D’Alberto’s Commodore VE, above.

Ryan stays in Red and White New long-term Penske deal for Nikon Indy winner INDYCAR

Open and shut case: Former Champ Car playmates Juan Pablo Montoya and Paul Tracy got together to compare notes at Texas. Marcos Ambrose had some ‘foreign’ words for Max Papis, below.

Courtesy Toyota Motorsport

RYAN Briscoe is staying a Penske driver. The Nikon Indy 300 winner has signed a new multi-year deal with Team Penske and is expected to team up again with Helio Castroneves to contest the 2009 IndyCar season, providing his Brazilian teammate can steer clear of further prosecution by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service for tax evasion. Briscoe, 27, won two races (apart from the non-points Surfers race) to finish fifth overall in the 2008 IndyCar championship. His contract was actually signed prior to his dominating win on the Gold Coast last month. In other Penske news, Castroneves’s legal council, Alan Miller, who was also indicted by a grand jury for

tax evasion, has pleaded not guilty and has asked for a jury trial. Miller, who also represents drivers like NASCAR’s Jimmie Johnson, Casey Mears and Clint Bowyer, could face up to 20 years for masterminding the use of off shore accounts to avoid taxation. – MARY MENDEZ

Now, PT is a

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Marco takes to Team USA

... and Walsh in for Team Oz A1 GP

NASCAR CTS PAUL Tracy has moved back to NASCAR. The Canadian has raced twice this season, for his long-time car owner Gerald Forsythe at Long Beach in April and in a satellite third entry with the help of Derrick Walker at Edmonton. But the veteran returned

Courtesy Toyota Motorsport

a Craftsman

to tin-tops on the weekend, joining NASCAR’s Craftsman Truck Series where he debuted in a Germain Racing Toyota powered truck at Texas Motor Speedway to finish 20th. But Tracy was not the only former Champ Car pilot running in the Texas Truck race. Max Papis finished 29th in his GEICO Toyota. – MARY MENDEZ

MARCO Andretti will drive Team USA’s A1GP entry at Chengdu, China, this weekend. The Andretti Green Racing star will replace Charlie Kimball, who finished 10th in the feature race and eighth in the sprint race at Zandvoort. Andretti will be making his first start in the A1GP car and this will be the third different racecar that Andretti has piloted during 2008. In addition to his 18 starts and seventh-place finish in the IndyCar Series championship, Andretti made three starts in the American Le Mans Series at Sebring, Lime Rock Park and

Road Atlanta. “Getting to race in China is something I’m really looking forward to,” said Andretti, who could be joined by Danica Patrick at future A1GP events. “I know there is a possibility that the weather could add another element to the race and that should only make the race more challenging for the drivers and more entertaining for the fans.” In other A1 news, FRenault driver Ash Walsh will step up to our team for the next two rounds. The Ipswish pilot will be Team Oz’s Rookie driver in China and in New Zealand in two weeks’ time, alongside regular John Martin. – MARY MENDEZ

CONQUEST WANTS SOME MORE TAG NASCAR SPRINT CUP

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CANADIAN Alex Tagliani could return to IndyCar racing full-time in 2009, if Conquest Racing owner Eric Bachelart gets his way and a new sponsor. The Canadian finished the Nikon Indy 300, only his third IndyCar race this season, in fourth after a tough battle with Ryan Hunter-Reay

and Bachelart has said that his team’s performance improved markedly with Tag’s presence. “It was a very difficult season, and since Alex came he really turned things around,” said Bachelart. “His drive at the Nikon Indy 300 was absolutely fantastic. I’ve never had somebody with such good feedback.” – MARY MENDEZ

Reynolds back in Porsches CARRERA CUP DAVID Reynolds will make a full-time return to Porsches racing this season. The 2007 Australian Carrera Cup champion will drive for Triple X Racing in New Zealand’s Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Championship. Reynolds will be a part of an expanded Triple X team, including Craig Baird, Daniel Gaunt, Shane McKillan and

possibly two other cars. The championship kicks off this weekend at Pukekohe Park Raceway. Reynolds drove in selected rounds of last year’s series, and while he has never driven at Pukekohe before, he is looking forward to keeping race-fit in the summer months. “It’s going to keep my focus up,” he said. “We’ll do three weekends in a row in January and that’s

pretty cool because otherwise, I’d be sitting at home not doing much at all. I won’t be able to slack off over Christmas and eat lots of ham! It will keeps me busy and help me retain my focus.” Reynolds drove in the Australian Carrera Cup series from 2005 to 2007, winning the championship in his final season before progressing to the Fujitsu V8 Series (in which he is currently running in

second place). “The Porsches are second nature for me now,” he said. “It only takes me a couple of laps and I’m back into it. They are a great car to drive and they suit my style. It’s a perfect fit.” Reynolds says that his aim is to win the championship, although at this stage, the final round of the NZ calendar clashes with the Clipsal 500 in March. – GRANT ROWLEY

Jim aims for two Biante Series cars BIANTE SERIES

James Smith

RACING royalty Jim Richards is planning to expand to a twocar Biante Touring Car masters team in the future. The seven-times Bathurst winner, who competes in his Falcon Sprint, is making early plans to build a second car to run in 2010. While Richards remained coy, he told eNews that there are plans to build a second car. “If we start it, and I think we will, but to be honest, it will be a year in the building,” he said. “It wouldn’t come on stream

until 2010, but hopefully we can get it organised and started towards the end of 2009.” Richards is keen to get a second car on the grid, but don’t expect to be a second Sprint. “It won’t be a Sprint,” he confirmed. “It will be a different car and a different manufacturer. It will allow us the opportunity to get other people to come and have a drive. If we’ve got two Ford products, you might say that’s a bit one-sided. “Let’s just say, it won’t be a Chevy and it won’t be a Ford ...” Richards is awaiting

permission from the Biante Series Masters and CAMS before the building process starts. – GRANT ROWLEY

Sprinting away: Jim Richards is running competitively in the Biante Series in 2008.

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Carrera Cup calendar finalised Symmons gets ditched for Shannons call-up

CARRERA CUP FOR the first time Carrera Cup will headline a round of the Shannons Nationals next year. The series, which will head to seven of the premier V8 Supercar rounds in 2009 as the major support category, was originally on the program for the V8 round at Symmons Plains, as reported last week in eNews. However, Carrera Cup will not be heading to the Apple Isle and will instead partake in the Shannons round at Phillip Island in May due to competitor disinterest in the Tasmanian event. There will be no television coverage of the event, however the Cup Cars will receive more track time than usual.

2009 CARRERA CUP CALENDAR 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Mar 19-22 Mar 26–29 May 16-17 Jul 10–12 Sept 11–13 Oct 8–11 Oct 22–25 Dec 4–6

Clipsal 500 Adelaide, SA Australian Grand Prix, Vic Phillip Island, Vic (Shannons) Townsville 400, Qld L&H 500 Phillip Island, Vic Bathurst 1000, NSW Nikon Indy 300, Qld Sydney 400, NSW

The Who to rock Albert Park AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX Legendary British rock band The Who will perform at the 2009 Australian Grand Prix. The appearance of The Who follows the success of last year’s show by Kiss at Albert Park. Lead singer Roger Daltrey, 64, and guitarist/songwriter Pete Townshend, 63 (the last two surviving members of the original band), will be joined on stage by long-time members Simon Townshend (guitar), Zak Starkey (drums), Pino Palladino (bass) and John ‘Rabbit’ Bundrick (keys). “We can’t wait to get there,” said Daltrey. “We hope a load of you turn out to see us. It’s a bloody long way to go, but you’re worth coming to.” The Who’s show at Albert Park will be the band’s one and only Australian performance.

Utes to “Bring it On” CLIPSAL 500 AFTER a period of deliberation, the Yokohama V8 Utes Series has been granted its place on the Clipsal 500 supports bill. The Utes class made its debut at the Adelaide track in 2001 and have been on the program ever since. The first draft for Clipsal supports saw the Utes left off, but at last week’s 2009 Clipsal 500 launch in Adelaide, the V8 Utes were a confirmed starter, and category manager Bill West was pleased with

the outcome. “It’s fantastic that we can keep up the tradition of the Clipsal 500 being our first race of the season,” he said. In total, there will be eight classes racing at the Adelaide meeting – the most ever. Supporting the V8 Supercars is the Fujitsu V8 Series, Formula 3, Carrera Cup, Aussie Racing Cars, Australian GT and Biante Touring Car Masters. The Clipsal meeting was launched in Adelaide last week, with the Chase Car at Mallala’s Shannons Nationals round promoting the event, above.

Small comeback FORMULA FORD TEAM BRM will return to the Genuine Ford Parts Formula Ford Championship at full strength in 2009. The 2008 Formula 3 Champions will run three Mygale SJ09 chassis with Ben Small being named as the first driver to sign with the team for next year. Small, the son of egineer Les Small and brother of Supercheap Auto Racing

engineer James Small, finished third in the 2008 Victorian State Formula Ford Championship in a Mygale, despite missing one round. “This was my first year in Formula Ford racing and I have always wanted to run in the National series, so I’m very excited,” said Small. “To be able to do it with a team like BRM makes it even better. They have a proven record plus a lot of success and

experience so hopefully we can have a good year. “I don’t have a lot of experience in Formula Ford but with a good testing program I’m confident that we can run up the front next year.” BRM previously ran in the Australian Formula Ford Championship in 2006 and 2007 and had some podium success with both Ben Clucas and Nick Percat.

Chris Carter

Child’s play ... V8 SUPERCARS DANE Child has won the Orrcon Steel ‘Design a V8 Supercar livery’ competition. The 28-year-old graphics designer submitted the maximum five entries and came out on top amongst a very competitive field. Child says that he is glad his “Mark Larkham inspired” design came out on top. “The design took me back to the days when Orrcon was a sponsor of Mark Larkham’s team. I wanted to keep the theme of the GT stripes whilst maintaining the Orrcon brand

colours,” said Child. “The GT stripes in this design are a bit of a twist on the traditional use which normally sees them straight over the bonnet and roof, I thought I’d change it up and wrap them around the back to give it a nice effect.” The winning design will be placed onto the Orrcon V8 Superschool car, a program run at the Holden Performance Driving School on the Gold Coast. Also, Child will attend a day at the V8 Superschool, where his livery design will be unveiled for the first time.

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Coming home FORMULA FORD GLEN Wood will make his return to Australian motorsport later this month when he races for Minda Motorsport at the penultimate round of the Genuine Ford Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship at Symmons Plains.

Wood has spent the season racing a Spectrum in the British Formula Ford series, but will make his first start in one of the Aussie-built cars on home soil at the Tasmania round, having last raced a Sonic-prepared Mygale. “We had a test there last week and it went really well, so I thought if I could get the funds together I would do the

race,” he told eNews. “I’m going there to win, and there is no reason why I can’t do that. But that’s not to say there is anything wrong with the guys that are racing here. Look at how well Nick Percat did in the UK! So it’s going to be tough.” Wood will be joined at Minda by newcomer Jesse Dixon. Barely 16 years of

FORMULA FORD DURATEC-powered Formula Fords will be allowed to compete in the CAMSsanctioned rounds of the Victorian state series next season. But while the fuel-injected motors will be eligible for entry in the four-round series, they are unlikely to be allowed to score championship points, that honour expected to be limited to cars running the older Kent engines. “The background is that we have been

struggling for entries, and not just in Formula Ford,” said David Vernall, secretary of the Victorian State Race Series. “We sat down with category representatives, and Formula Ford indicated that they would be looking at about 20 cars for next season, and that is not financially viable. So we had to look at options, and it became obvious that a number of Duratec competitors were interested, although there was considerable objection from the Kent competitors. But with the Duratec change

Marshall Cass

Duratec for State Series

age, the meeting will be a Formula Ford debut for Dixon, who hasn’t even formally completed his CAMS license process. He will do his Observed License Test at Sandown this weekend. Wood and Dixon will be joined by regular Minda drivers Ben Walter and Martin Swindells at Symmons. – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

came a proposal to have the financial viability of the category underwritten for next year, and we couldn’t turn that down. “We can’t say whether or not the Duratec cars will be able to score points for the championship, because only CAMS can decide who can or can’t win a CAMS championship. But my guess is that CAMS will be keen for Kent to keep the championship at this stage.” The series will feature two rounds at Sandown, and two rounds at Phillip Island. – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

John Morris/ Mpix

Country Speedway Festival SPEEDWAY THE Sprintcar Association of NSW will be running a six-round Sprintcar series based on three country NSW tracks. Called ‘Thunder thru the Plains’ the series will start this Saturday night November 8 at the Gunnedah Speedway. The series continues through-out the summer of 2008/9 with the series final scheduled to the run at Gilgrandra on April 25. The Dubbo venue will be the other speedway to host a round in the Thunder thru the Plains series. The series has attracted a mixture of

experienced and not-so-experienced drivers with NSW Sprintcar ‘hard chargers’ Adrian Maher, Ian Loudoun, Mark Richards, Jeremy Cross, Andrew Wright, James Thomson just to name a few who have committed to the entire six rounds. A very healthy prize fund will be announced shortly, as well as the final driver line-up. Racers like Andrew Wright (from Muswellbrook and a former multiple Australian Litre car Champion) and Jeremy Cross (a Dubbo based former Sedan star) are very excited with the SANSW country series especially now

‘Thunder thru the plains’ Round 1: Nov 8 Round 2: Dec 6 Round 3: Feb 21 Round 4: Mar 7 Round 5: Apr 18 Round 6: Apr 25

Gunnedah Dubbo Gilgandra Dubbo Gunnedah Gilgandra

they are finally racing closer to their home and fan base. Plus the country race fans will see some of the best drivers in the State. – GREG BOSCATO

PCR track changes SPEEDWAY

John Morris/ Mpix

WITH the help of both the Parramatta promoters and the Sprintcar Association of NSW, the Parramatta track is undergoing some safety improvements in the wake of Scott Darley’s death. Prior to last Saturday’s meeting, a tyre wall was built in turn four and exiting turn two with further working bee’s

to place more tyres around the venue scheduled for this week. The tyres got a real test early after an incident involving Michael Sammut and Steve Caunt saw Caunt flipping widely hitting the tyres then bouncing into the fence then back down on the track. The tyres certainly did their job in what could have been another nasty crash. – GREG BOSCATO

news

Having a blast SPEEDWAY

V8 Supercar driver and team owner Paul Morris is well known for competing in different types of racing around Australia but last Saturday night he competed in his first competitive Sprintcar race. Morris competed in Round 3 of the 2008/09 Comp Cams Series in Brisbane with the ABC Auto Gear team. He piloted the #61 JEI Sprintcar and went into the meeting with only a couple of practice runs under his belt. Morris will compete in selected Sprintcar races over the summer with the ABC Auto Gear team. Just for the record, Morris was on his way to qualifying for the A-Main when he came into contact with another car and spun. He was able to fight back to finish seventh in the B-Main.

Mainland dominance in Tasmania KARTING

VICTORIAN karters have dominated the recent Tasmanian State Karting Championships as the Hartings Hotmix Kartway in Highclere. Victorian drivers took home nine championships of the 13 contested over the weekend, including the coveted Junior Clubman category. Garry Jacobson also won the Junior National Heavy class ahead of Andrew Rae with Launceston local Troy Stone in third. One of only three local drivers to win a championship was Brody Appleby, who controlled the Rookie category ahead of Queenslander Mitchell Griffin and Damon Strongman in third. Another Tasmanian to come away from the event with some silverware was Stephen Crocker, who won the Over 40s category.

Other winners over the weekend included Jake Klein (Midgets), Jordan Nicolaou (Junior National Light), Jye

O’Keefe (Clubman Light), Franky Costanzo (Clubman Heavy), Anthony Capitano (Clubman Super Heavy),

Dean Foster (Leopard Light), Rick Pringle (Rotax Heavy) and Ryan Reynolds (Senior National Light).

news

New Arrow X1 Arrives Significant tweaks and a stunning new look highlights DPE’s latest creation KARTING DREW Price Engineering has unveiled its all-new sprint kart chassis – the Arrow X1. The CIK-FIA homologated chassis is the product of over 18 months work by the DPE team, featuring evolutionary mechanical upgrades and revolutionary bodywork. The X1 is an all-new chassis, and most of its major engineering changes have been brought about by the change of tyres. The superseded AX9 chassis was designed for Bridgestone’s YEQ, but with the prominence of Rotax and Leopard engines increasing in Australia, the new chassis is said to have a major benefit for the Mojo D2 (Rotax) and MG Yellow (Leopard) tyres. “It was certainly challenging, but we’ve ended up in a good position where we feel we’ve come up with a product that works well on both,” development driver

Bart Price said. One of the main changes is a 50mm hollow rear axle, and for the first time in Arrow history, a floating ventilated brake disk. The brake disk has been designed for performance and to be maintainance-friendly. Also, the chassis tube used throughout the whole kart is 30mm, 2mm less than the AX9. Only the fixed front cross-beam on the new kart uses 32mm chrome moly tubing. The new Arrow also returns to a base white colour, not seen on the brand since the late-90s AX8. The striking new colour scheme features dynamic ‘Captain Arrow’ on the sidepod, which has been prominently introduced to create a sense of excitement, particularly amongst its American market. “The last kart was designed in a more quieter, stylish way, but this time, we’ve decided to go the opposite and go out

there,” Price said. “Just from talking to a lot of people prior to finalising the graphics, people were hoping to see a big change, and we feel we’ve achieved that.” The X1 replaces the B-Max, which has been on the market for three years. Preorders for the new chassis have exceeded 300 units. But, the big question, can it win? In its development phase, the kart finished 1-23 in the Rotax Light class during the recent Nationals. Price says that there is more speed to come. “With a development kart, you’ve got minimal time to set it up and get it going to the best of your ability and then try and get a result. Now that we’ve turned it into a production kart and we can devote our time to getting the most out of it, I feel there’s room to get more out of it.” – GRANT ROWLEY

5 Minutes with ...

CAMERON McCONVILLE

The WOW Commodore driver heads to Bahrain with other things on his mind – like the Brazilian GP, his upcoming test of a Honda Formula 1 car and ... Jenson Button’s behind PHIL BRANAGAN

How do you prepare for something like this? You get a go kart as a ‘trainer’, do you? Yes. Shane Price has been good enough to loan me his development kart, and that is a Rotax. I went out for a session at Oakleigh and I will go out again next week, hopefully. They are going to let me have a drive of the new Arrow ’09 kart, so that should be good. You have to drive something that is fast enough with a sticky tyre. I did a seat fitting when we were in Singapore for the Grand Prix and I could not get into Jenson Button’s seat. I could squeeze into Alex Wurz’s

They have done this kind of thing before, I haven’t, so I am the one going into this trying to learn something.

Honda Racing

MOTORSPORT NEWS: Not many people get to drive a Formula 1 car. This must be the culmination of a childhood dream. CAMERON McCONVILLE: Absolutely. I was taking to our producer, Mike Heaton, who is coming to Japan with me, about when I was a kid and I got Juan Manuel Fangio’s autograph at the 1986 Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide. I still have the photo of me, wearing my Swiss Hutless go kart jumper, and back then, at 12, all I wanted to do was to race Formula 1. It was all about Formula 1 back then. Then I realised how difficult it was, later on. So many people have asked me, “What is it like? What is the fastest car you have ever driven? Have you ever driven a Formula 1 car?” And the answer has always been, “No, no, no!” But this is going to be quite surreal; to be able to tick that box and say, “Have I driven Formula 1 car? Yes.”

JENSON BUTTON HAS NO BUTTOCKS. NO BUM AT ALL Mcconville has been putting a lot of thought into his first formula 1 test

seat – but only just. Because of that, I have lost about 2kg since then and I am doing a lot of running and trying to get slim so I can get my chunky buttocks into the car. Cameron, your buttocks are not that chunky. True. But these guys have no buttocks. Jenson Button has no buttocks. No bum at all. It can get quite tricky, actually, because the seat is very, very tight. Because I only get into Japan on the Monday night, obviously, there is no time to pour a seat. So I have been doing a bit of karting and a bit more cardio, just to drop a couple of kgs. What do you know about driving a Formula 1 car? Very little. I managed to have a bit of a chat to Mark Webber about it when we were in Singapore, and I spoke to Neil Crompton,

who drove an older Formula 1 car a few years ago when he was at Ricard, doing that Michelin thing with Greg Murphy. He suggested driving something that was really brutal, like getting into a brutal world. The only thing that he could think of that was good for that was a geared go-kart, something like that. Other than that, it is difficult. I have watched plenty of Formula 1 over the last couple of years and I have been paying particular attention to the on-bard camera stuff. It doesn’t look that difficult … does it? No, not at all. All the stuff I have seen appears to be pretty straightforward! Yes. They get to change gears on the steering wheel – no Hpatterns for them! Look, seriously, the trick is to not over reach and to pay attention to what you are told.

Is it just you or is there going to be someone there having a drive on the same day – a Honda test driver, another journalist, someone? I am not sure about that. Apparently, Alex Wurz is going to be there, testing, the day before I get into the car, that would be on the Monday. But I am not sure that he is going to be there on the Tuesday, when I am supposed to have the drive. Honda has appointed a test engineer, Dave Nielson, to run me in the car when I am there and he is a Victorian, so it is good to know that there is not going to any issues with language. I have already fired over a couple of emails and he seems to be a pretty helpful guy. Finally, your ‘day job’ turned into ‘night’ for the Brazilian Grand Prix. What did you think of the finish last night? Unbelievable. Unbelievable! Have you ever seen a finish of a motor racing like that? Has anyone ever seen a finish of a motor race like that? With so much on the line, the World Drivers’ Championship, you could not write a script like that and have it believable. I have seen plenty of things in motor racing in my time, and plenty of things in Formula 1 like that, but that finish had everything. I am sure that they will be talking about that for a long time to come.

chat

Dirk Klynsmith

A round of applause please ... opinion Phil Branagan Executive Editor

BIG week. The horses go around tomorrow, Obama vs McCain in the US elections after that and, not long after, King Lewis will probably emerge from his post-Brazilian GP title celebration with one too many drinks and a Pussycat Doll in hand. So, in the midst of all this, I want to give a round of applause for Troy Bayliss. Last Sunday, the three-time World Superbike Champion racked his green and gold Suomi helmet in emphatic fashion, after belting the living daylights out of opposition riders who would like to be as good as he is and, somehow, never will be. His final performance in Portimao, Portugal, was nothing less than a shellacking. He didn’t beat the others, he toyed with them and then, bored probably, cleared out. The winning margins were huge. Just like it was when he ended his Grand Prix career in 2006. In case you forgot, Troy was drafted back into the Ducati team to sub for Sete Gibernau in the final race of the season – in fact, the final race of the 990cc era. Cruise and collect? No, no quite. Pole position, lead every lap, take flag. It was Bayliss’s one and only GP win and it was one for the ages. Bayliss’s career was one of seizing opportunities and making them work. A wildcard ride on a Suzuki 250 GP bike at Phillip Island led to an invitation to race in the British Superbike Championship. Carl Fogarty’s careerending injury at Phillip Island got Troy into the SBK. Once he got his foot in the door, the rest – like the opposition – was history. One more thing. Bayliss has done all this with a smile, with modesty and a passion for racing exceeded only by that he felt for his family. “I’m not here to break any records,” he said once. “I’m here to make a living. That’s it.” It has been a privilege to watch Troy Bayliss be the best Superbike racer of his era, maybe ever. Whatever he races next – V8 Supercars, maybe? – I really want to watch that, too.

Letters

Have your say, email us at mail@mnews.com.au. Keep letters to the point! Surfers Paradise Watch out Melbourne, these guys know how to put on a show. It had everything. A thrilling, entertaining spectacle. If only F1 had a final 10 laps as exciting. Now, if only Bernie would stop postulating and follow through with his empty threats to cancel the Australian GP, we might just persuade the IRL to step in

and provide real racing! (and probably at a fraction of the cost!) Gordon Dicksen Gordon@dqh.com.au Bathurst I watched every minute of coverage of Bathurst on Seven, including the far too frequent ad breaks. I find the pit comments of the commentators both informative and interesting,

however whoever decides what footage we will watch during the races has had either no motor racing experience, or no idea of what the fans want to see. I get tired of watching monotonous lap after lap of the leading two or three cars in single file, while down the field there are constant overtaking manouvres occuring, or rubbed panels, away from our sight.

Are Seven obliged to only show the ‘leading’ teams because it seems that in most races we never get to see how the other half of the field is performing? Surely their sponsors deserve a better deal? Please show us the action across the entire field, and dont just concentrate on HRT, Triple Eight and FPR. Lloyd Abbot lloyda@rapidal.com.au

opinion

The dreaded ‘R’ word ... opinion Chris Lambden mNews Publisher

saying. To me, it suggested that the ‘buzz’ is still there – but because he has these other things to occupy himself with, Skaife will adapt to life without it reasonably well. HRT co-owner Tom Walkinshaw wasn’t present on Wednesday, but there can be few more pragmatic people in the business of motorsport. I’d be certain that Tom played his part in the decision, as a business partner is entitled to, in terms of Skaife’s responsibilities to the business. As I said, a complex decision. I doubt we’ll see Mark Skaife in a V8 again after Oran Park. He knows only too well the requirement for regular top-level competition for codrivers these days and will

throw himself into the other roles that he has, or that come along. In coping with the ‘comedown’ from the professional motorsport high, however, he need look no further than one of his life-long mentors, Jim Richards. Richo stepped effortlessly from the highpressure atmosphere of V8s to the relatively racing-forfun world of Carrera Cup, and now Historic Tourers, and has derived a lot of enjoyment from it. In the meantime, as Skaifey’s Grand Finale, Oran Park will now be huge. He’s deserving of all the accolades which will come, but the realisation of just what he is leaving behind will make it a tough weekend.

Dirk Klynsmith

IT’S been a week of highprofile sporting retirements – Grant Hackett, Anil Kumble and Mark Skaife. It will have been a difficult few weeks for Skaife as he grappled with the varying pressures and realities that every top sportsman faces at some time. In Hackett’s case, the decision was entirely personal – swimming is an individual sport and he could have gone on, if he’d wanted to. Cricket is a team sport and, the prospect of carrying an injury into a final, crucial test next week was sufficient for the legendary Indian captain to pull the pin with less than 24 hours to think about it – possibly under pressure from the Indian selectors. Motorsport is a bit more complex than that, because not only is a team involved, it’s a business as well. And in Skaife’s case, more so – he’s

up to his ears in the business element of HRT. It was always going to be a complex decision when it came, but in the end it has come earlier than Skaife himself had expected it would. To be honest, I’d question Mark’s claim that these days he gets more of a kick out of walking into a board room to make a presentation than racing. There are thousands of business managers up and down the country doing deals. There are significantly less who can experience the ultimate buzz of nailing a qualifying lap at Bathurst; of pushing a machine just as far as it can go, and beyond; being on the edge. That makes race driving at the top level a super-tough thing to walk away from, at any time. The closest Mark came to ‘tearing-up’ was when he attempted to convey that feeling to those assembled at the announcement. Only a handful of those present, those racers who have been there themselves, could possibly understand fully what he was

eLETTER OF THE WEEK Skaife It surprises me that Skaifey has thrown in the towel so readily. Just because he is having an Annus Horribilis at HRT, doesn’t mean that the sun can’t shine elsewhere. If he took the rose coloured blinders off for a moment, he might find that the grass is greener on the blue side of the fence. A trip back through history will attest

to the fact that the second banana at HRT gets lumped with the dodgy testmule, before they are unceremoniously dumped – a la: Brock, Lowndes, Murphy, Mezera, Jones, Gardiner, etc. Skaife (and the Kelly Family, I might add), have served their purpose. Walkinshaw is back at the helm. There is no further need for the stop-gap pawns that kept the ship afloat for the past few years. (This is why Holden rejected

Triple Eight’s overtures back then). If Skaifey were to go to Stones or the resurgent DJR, I’m certain that he would find himself magically competitive all over again. Even better, if he were to win Bathurst for a blue team, we just may hear a twist on those immortal words uttered from the podium, once again. Matt Treacy matttreacy@bigpond.com

Send your creative letters to mail@mnews.com.au, or Motorsport News PO Box 7072, Brighton, Vic 3186 25

race

Mark Skaife’s full-time racing career will come to an end at Oran Park in December. When the Holden hero told the world of his retirement from regular driving, MOTORSPORT NEWS was there to capture the emotion

All Good Things Come to an End

it’s been an around the clock, 7300-day commitment to excellence in that period

V8 SUPERCAR commentator, racer and Mark Skaife collegue Neil Crompton, was the host of Skaife’s retirement announcement at Crown Casino, Melbourne, last Wednesday. Here is what he said by way of introduction, followd by Skaife’s retirement announcement, in full ...

CROMPTON’S INTRODUCTION

I first met Mark in the mid-80s, and it was just after an Amaroo Park debut in 1984 when he blazed onto the circuit in a Torana XU-1. I saw him drive like a demon in the Laser series and, subsequent to that, in 1987, he scored a ride with Fred Gibson and Nissan, and his professional career was underway. I can distinctly recall leaning on the pit garages with Skaifey later that year, eagerly discussing that event and what may or may not await us, and the problems ‘du jour’ that motor racing may or may not have had on that particular day. There is a nice little picture of the two of us standing around, having a bit of a yak about that. It seems like only a few sleeps back, a few laps and the odd headache tablet ago. Over the past 20 years, I have met no-one in motorsport, either here or, for that matter anywhere around the world, who has worked harder on a really brilliant career. From the first gearchange, which MS latched doggedly, and with beyond normal enthusiasm and commitment, and an insatiable work ethic, to create the following portfolio of achievement; – Five-time Bathurst winner; – Five-time Australian Touring Car and V8 Supercar Champion; – Three-time Australian Driving Champion for the Gold Star; – Record-holder for the most number of round victories; – Second on the all-time list of podiums; – Record holder for the most individual wins with a staggering 87; – 40 pole positions; – And, on the all-time starters’ list, as of last week on the Gold Coast, 211 starts at the pinnacle of our business. And when we next visit Bahrain next weekend, he will tie the late and great friend of ours, Peter Brock, and then subsequent to that, in Tasmania, he will move to second behind John Bowe when we visit Symmons; A four-time winner of the 400km endurance event, twice at Sandown, once the Queensland 500 and again, more recently, when we visited Phillip Island just a couple of weeks ago; And, in the process, awarded the Order of Australia Medal, the OAM. Now, these results in the modern era are pretty incredible, by any sporting standard. But what many of us don’t realise is the extraordinary backroom contribution. Not only as an ambassador for Nissan, for Holden and for HSV,

but for the wider automotive and motorsport industries. In fact, Mark has played a huge part in the growth of our sport over the last two decades. Whether it be safety, technical issues, his V8 Board presence, or simply waving the industry flag from one end of the country to the other, it’s been an around the clock, 7300-day commitment to excellence in that period. His single-minded focus can also be a little bit punishing, at times. And at some point, I think it is fair to say, I think we have all got a bruise or two from Skaifey along the way. But even his fiercest competitors recognise his importance and brand value – just last weekend, I was standing in the middle of a huddle in the pitlane. Ross Stone from Stone Brothers Racing explained to me his personal respect for Mark and the fact that you knew you had been in a fight when you went racing against Skaifey. Tim Edwards from Ford Performance Racing was standing there; he was in the very same huddle and talked of how valuable Mark was to the industry overall, not to mention what an awesome competitor he is. I reckon it should come as no great surprise to hear nice words coming from your mates, but I reckon it says something when your competitors offer these thoughts at random. And just as I walked away, we invited our fans to a pit walk, as we do, through the V8 Supercar pitlane and paddock. As usual, there was the typical throng of massive interest towards Mark, and that is a scene that I have witnessed for the last two decades. Quite extraordinary. So, as speculation has grown in the last couple of weeks, I have had a million-and-one phone calls about this particular day, some of them even from competitors in the industry, gently trying to suss me out. “Is Mark stopping?” “What’s the scenario?” “Might he consider driving for us?” Now, I might mention that these queries were coming from all corners of the paddock, and both colours ... The truth of the matter is that I drew a blank because, even as a mate, I had no idea exactly what Mark’s intentions were going to be in the final analysis. So, to fill in those blanks, it is certainly my pleasure to invite my dear competitor, my colleague and, more importantly, my friend Mark Skaife to the podium to address us all. Please welcome Mark.

SKAIFE’S ANNOUNCEMENT

Thank you Neil for your very kind words. I know that there has been a lot of speculation lading up to today and people have gone to great trouble to be here, especially Crompo. As most of us know, he is a ex-frustrated race driver and an aircraft pilot – last week he went for a little jaunt to Adelaide, stopped in Mildura and then couldn’t restart the ‘bug-smasher’. So, the bugsmasher is somewhere between here

i have been f enough to ha some of the that austral produced

fortunate ave driven with best drivers lia has ever

and Mildura, probably on the back of a Toll truck somewhere, being transported back ... I am sure that he will be very happy about this revelation, because Neil too does his best to keep those things secret ... In the same way as the recent speculation about my career, we all know that you can’t keep a secret in this business, Crompo! Thank you for being with me today and thank you to so many people for being here to join me. The first thing I would like to say is that what I am going to announce today has not come easily and it is something that I have put a lot of thought into. In mid-or early-last year, I briefed one of my best friends and business mentors John Crennan, to examine what would be in life after racing for Mark Skaife. In typical M. Skaife and Crenno form, we put together a special study, which is about 75 pages, of analysing my brand, analysing the alternatives for me, in terms of what I did moving forward, analysing by research what opportunities might be there moving forward and what the possibilities would be in terms of retiring – contemplating the end of 2008 or 2009. So, that was a massive project that examined hanging up my helmet and moving on with life. What I am going to announce today is that I am retiring at the end of this year, which will not come as a massive surprise to most of you here. But I can assure you that, based on not only what John and I have worked on and thoughts that I have had over the last six months, and especially the thoughts since Bathurst, this is one of the biggest decisions of my life. For those who understand me and recognise my passion for driving cars, and also the love of the competition, you probably would understand how difficult this is for me. I’ve got to say that I am not enjoying it as much as I was, I am turned on more now by walking into boards and boardrooms, and putting sponsor presentations and putting a business case together for HRT, in terms of how I operate in the modern world.

ON A PERSONAL NOTE ...

From a really personal perspective, driving – although it is a great team sport and I am fortunate to have a fantastic team of people behind me – is such a personal thing. There’s so much about being in that car by yourself and driving the car to a level that I can’t describe. It’s something that you do with incredible passion and you do with incredible commitment. I can honestly say that my commitment is not there to the level that it has been. So, as a consequence of that, I am making this decision. I have always said that I am in a difficult position, because as a race driver, and from a purists’ point of view, it’s a personal decision about my driving career. But as an owner of the Holden Racing Team, I certainly would never do the wrong thing by the team, nor would I do the wrong thing by

our sponsors or our fans, and our supporter group. So, I said from Day One that when I am driving at a threshold when I was not enjoying it and not doing what I considered to be best for the team, that I will make a big boy’s decision and step aside. Essentially, that is where I am at today. The team is in great shape. I am very, very proud of the team, I am proud of what the Toll-HRT stands for. We are a factory team for Holden and we are expected to win. I can assure you, with the team that we have, the sponsorship that we have and the support that we have, and the drivers that we have, a current Champion in Garth Tander, and Garth’s here today, we will be in good shape moving forward. That is a determined and assured ‘Yes’ that HRT is in good shape.

SKAIFE ON LOYALTY

Neil detailed some of my achievements when he introduced me and I have been very, very lucky that I have driven for, probably, the two best teams in Australian motorsport over the last 20 years. I drove for Gibson Motorsport and it was certainly the best team of the ‘90s. A lot of the guys are here today, including Fred and Christine Gibson, so thank you for that. Then I was fortunate enough, at the end of Peter Brock’s career, to join HRT and to drive for the best team of the 2000s. John Crennan is here today, who was instrumental and was the architect of me coming there and working together over a long period of time. So in a bit over 20 years, I have only driven for two teams. That is a very important part of the foundation of Mark Skaife’s character and loyalty to the team that I am with at the time. I have created some life-long friendships out of all that. I have been fortunate enough to have driven with some of the best drivers that Australia has ever produced. I can say that, with Jim Richards here, for instance, Glenn Seton, Craig Lowndes, Garth Tander, so many of the drivers who are here today. I was fortunate enough to come in at the back of the Peter Brock-Allan Moffat-Colin BondAllan Grice-Larry Perkins-Alan Jones era of superstar drivers. And then be teamed with Jim Richards and be teamed with Lowndes and teamed with Jason Bright, be teamed with Garth Tander, teamed with Todd Kelly, teamed with drivers through a phase of my career where you had to compete with them to go well. That has been a part of what I have really enjoyed the most. Throughout the era of changing times, a Glenn Seton comes along – we had great Ford versus Holden battles in the 90s; a Craig Lowndes come along – he was my team-mate, we were fierce rivals but great mates. Then Craig joined Ford and, obviously, we had a modern 2000s battle on a red versus blue side. Whenever we could beat the Dark Side, we were a happy team. That’s certainly the case, as we speak. I just spoke about loyalty over those

the future percent of into what w

two teams and, for me, that has been a great aspect of my driving and a great aspect of my friendships, that have been born within those teams. I value the friendships that I have created with our sponsors at the highest level, especially at Holden, where I have enjoyed an incredible relationship and look forward to working with them moving forward. I will certainly miss driving cars. I have great memories, whether it is starting from the back of the field at the Clipsal and winning that race, or winning Bathurst with Jim Richards 10 years after we won it for the first time, or the second time, together. Whether it is coming from last to first at Oran Park, beating Craig Lowndes in 2006, Todd Kelly and I winning Bathurst on Todd’s birthday, I’ve got a lot of great memories of some of the things that have I have been able to achieve. I spent my life developing racecars and cars. Whether that is test driving, whether that is race driving, whether that is road cars, I have enjoyed driving the cars so much that many of you here will recognise that that has been a big and important part of my life for well over 20 years. It is going to be important to me to finish off well, I can’t wait for Oran Park and the competition there, and I have tried to reflect a little bit on what that will really mean.

THE PERFECT EXPLANATION

will be 110 f M.Skaife effort we do next Phil Williams

The best thing I can try to explain it via is leaving the pit area at IndyCar last weekend. A gentleman came up in an HRT shirt and he had his son with him. There was, obviously, a lot of speculation over the weekend. He said, “I don’t know if it’s true, but if it’s true, thanks very much for the enjoyment that you have given me and my family over the years of watching you race cars.” I can’t explain any better how I feel about the sport and leaving the sport. I want to thank all my family; Toni and Mitch, my wider family and friends for all their support over such a long period of time – everybody knows how much they have been part of that, an integral part of what I do, and have been able to achieve. Especially my parents and family for all the assistance they helped me to get into this game. My Dad was, obviously, very supportive; Barry Seton, Glenn’s father, was also very supportive at the start, and a couple of other guys – Don McLean and Harry Galloway, Rod Smith, Anthony Tratt, lots of guys who are mates of mine who have really gone past and beyond where we are in terms of today’s record. Driving, as I said, is such an individual pursuit but the team and the ability to have good people behind you is just like any business. Any race team is all about the people that are there. What I have had and, fortunately, have been able to achieve over a long period of time, is thanks to a great relationship with the people who have been doing the hard work in the background, the people who have made me look good for many,

many years. So many of those guys are here today; Richard Holway, Robbie Starr, Dave Swenson, Ross Holder, Andy Bartley, Jeff Grech, Pete Schaefer, ... there’s so many. And all our current team, that are here in red shirts today, are guys that have put in for me in an incredible way. Not only have they made my car safe enough to be out there, they have made my car fast enough to win the races and they have been loyal to the point of working all night to make sure that I was on the grid to go and win races. That commitment and trust is something that I cannot explain any better than saying that this is like going into war with somebody – you have people alongside you that are so loyal and they know how much effort you are putting in, and you know how much effort they have, commensurately, put in. It is an incredible relationship that you form with those people and I thank them very, very much.

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE

From the document that I mentioned at the start from John (Crennan), there has been a lot of planning with some great plans for the future. It is certainly a new phase of my career. There is a lot left that we have to do but there is certainly a line in the sand from today on. Like anything that I have done so far, the future will be 110 percent of M. Skaife effort into what we do next. Behind me, there is a little reference to ‘Skaife Next’ and there’s four arrows that signify: the involvement in the industry, involvement in racing, involvement in the media and lots of other opportunities, whether it’s driver training, road safety ... I am going to go onto the Australian Motor Sport Foundation Board, which looks after young guys’ funding, going into Formula 1. There’s national retail automotive opportunities that I have been approached about and lots of other opportunities. Craig Kelly is into me about doing a book at the moment, with the title of ‘My Life in Red’. Ned, or as most of you who would know him, Mister 20 Percent, knows one-fifth of every number, and we will work away on that over the next year or so and have a warts-and-all look at a biography. So in closing, ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much. I really wanted to make this announcement with so many of my friends and family and associates with me. Thank you very much for being here. I can honestly say that when I was planning this decision … a man said to me once, “You make seven out of 10 good decisions and things will work out pretty well for you”. That is what I have gone with and I feel better that I have made one. I feel like it’s right to retire, I respect and admire some of the people who have done this well – Nathan Buckley, Steve Waugh, yesterday Grant Hackett – at the top of their game. I certainly hope that is how you have perceived this also.

Dirk Klynsmith

Ingall

Richards: Success was Mark’s downfall

Y opinion is that if Mark Skaife wasn’t so successful, he wouldn’t have retired. Because he’s dominated the sport since just about 1990 to last year, it’s a shame that a whole lifetime and career can be brought down by having one bad half of a season. All of a sudden, people think that you’re not good enough, and I think that’s a crying shame. Skaifey, on his day, is as good as anyone. In a V8 Supercar, to be three tenths of a second off the pace means that you’re 20th. That’s the only bad thing about the category! The fact that you are the 20th car on the grid, people ask “What the hell is going on?” but they don’t realise that three tenths is about two car lengths difference over a whole lap! But from where he has been and what he’s done – at the top of his game – he couldn’t go down a level. He couldn’t drive for another team. He’s done the right thing, retiring at the top.

opinion Jim Richards 7-times Bathurst winner

joined the Nissan team in 1989 and I really didn’t have much to do with Mark before then. I only ever used to say hello to him in the pits before then because we were just two people driving for different teams. But I realised that he wasn’t just your average driver when I had my first drive of the HR31 at Winton. Skaifey ran the car in the morning and did six or seven laps, and he came in and said all was sweet. I’d never sat in the car before and I went out and I was no faster than him. Immediately, I knew how good I was driving compared to him and I realised then that Skaifey was a formidable guy to be in the same team. He had raw ability, and at that stage, he was only going to get better. I wasn’t going to

get much better because I’d been in the sport for quite a few years. And from then on, we became really good friends. Professionally, the best times we’ve had together was our three Bathurst wins we had together. We drove together at Fred Gibson’s for nearly 10 years and they were some of the best times. We tried to beat each other everytime we were out on the track, but it was certainly friendly rivalry. The 2002 Bathurst win with Skaifey was extra special. I’d driven with my son Steven in a couple of races, then drove with John Bowe, and it just happened to be that Mark came up to me and he asked me to drive. In the Queensland 500, I drove with Tomas Mezra, but for Bathurst, they split us – Tomas drove with Jason Bright and I was with Mark. It was a good event for both of us. We’d been together through the highs and lows in our racing careers at Gibsons, and to come back together and do it one more time was terrific.

Seton: F

I HAVE known Mark for a long time, even long before we were racing cars against each other, since we were eight or 10! Let’s see; Russell Skaife, Mark’s dad, bought my dad’s car in 1976, so I would have been 11 … We followed each others’ careers through karts, with him two years behind me. We were in the same class until I moved up to seniors, then it moved into Nissan and he followed me there too! We have had similar career paths to the tee. He did more on the open-wheeler racing than me but I wanted

skaife

l: TV is Skaife’s strength MARK Skaife’s career after driving should be in TV commentary. I’ve got to give it to him. I’m not complimentary about a lot of things he’s done over the year, but when he gets his head on the box he is very good. He brings something that seems to be missing in the telecast. As for the right time for retirement, I don’t think he’d be happy about it. I don’t think he’d be thinking it is the right time. Okay, his achievements speak for themselves – his titles, and Bathurst wins, and race wins are unrivalled. He can’t achieve too much more. But I can’t imagine he would be happy with how competitive he’s been for the last couple of years, I know it would annoy me. That’s not how you want to be going out. But that’s the way the climate is at the minute. It is very, very competitive, and it’s hard to stay on top. But that would be the only disappointment for Mark I can imagine. He’s made a good living out of it and he’s achieved more than any driver other than Peter Brock, and to a point he’s achieved even more. That’s a good innings. As for my age, there are some things I can’t control, and the numbers game is definitely one of them. That’s a fact of life.

opinion Russell Ingall V8 Supercar and Bathurst champ

What can you do? All you can do is keep being competitive. I do this for a number of reasons. It is my job, a passion, and I like it. It seems that Mark wasn’t enjoying it any more, and when you aren’t enjoying something, it is hard to be competitive. I’ve enjoyed this year more than any other time because of the environment with the team and how well I get along with Paul [Morris], and I think my results are reflecting that. I’ll get to a stage like Mark has where I’m not competitive, and then I’ll think about retirement. One rolls into another, When you’re not competitive the fun factor goes out of it, because you are trying so hard to be competitive. Then it consumes your whole life and everything around you suffers as well. But I’m nowhere near that stage at the moment, I’m having the best year I’ve had in the last three. So far I’m beating the numbers game, so we’ll see how long that lasts.

From Karts to Cars opinion Glenn Seton 2-time Touring Car Champ to do more than just a couple of races … His biggest strength, without any doubt, was his determination. He would put his mind to something and figure out how to beat the next guy, and whatever it took, he would do it. He never lost sight of what it took to win. He was very strong technically. When we started, it was all about feedback but as computers came into how we determine the car

changes, he moved along with that. He has good feel for a car, always has, and he came up through the era of your dad running the car and telling them what the car was going without making a big song and dance about it. It has been good to be involved with him through the Holden Racing Team over the past couple of seasons. The Bathurst result hurt him, obvioulsy, but what happened with his announcement last week has surprised me. I have never seen him more uncomfortable in a car than he was at Bathurst but at the end of the day, the news still came as a shock to everybody.

SHANNONS NATIONALS ROUND 9 – MALLALA, SA

Holden Heaven

Tancredi and Crosswell won the inaugural Commodore Cup enduro at Mallala. LACHLAN MANSELL was there for the penultimate round of the Shannons Nationals

race

Marshall Cass

James Smith

ICHAEL Tancredi and Dean Crosswell have taken out the inaugural Commodore Cup endurance challenge in Round 9 of the Shannons Nationals at Mallala. Tancredi and Crosswell actually crossed the line second in both 40-minute races, behind Marcus Zukanovic/Gary Baxter and Geoff Emery/Ross McGregor. However, Zukanovic and Baxter were penalised two laps for a pit-stop infringement in Race 1, and Emery and McGregor were penalised 29 seconds for pit lane speeding in Race 2, allowing Tancredi and Crosswell to snatch victory in both races. The Northern Territory father-and-son combination of David and Steven Ling finished second for the event after some speedy pit stops, with Zukanovic and Baxter recovering from their Race 1 mishap to finish third overall. Tancredi’s round win has given him a 47 point series lead over Adam Lloyd with one round remaining. “I’ve been in a position to win

Commodore Cup races before, but something has always gone wrong,” Tancredi said. “It’s good to have a comfortable lead after the close racing we’ve had all year.” Darren Hossack and Nick Parker endured a nightmare weekend, with a DNF in Race 1 followed by a DNS in Race 2 due to major engine problems. However, some of Hossack’s Commodore Cup pain was washed away by his Superkart series win. Despite slow starts in the races, Hossack finished third in the all-important bonus points final race to beat home Sam Zavaglia by just three points. Bob Middleton won the 2008 Supertruck title with a clean sweep of four race wins. John Falk entered the event with a 10 point lead, and looked set to score enough points to hold out Middleton after consistent performances in the first two races. However, Falk’s late withdrawal from the final two races left the door open for Middleton to score his fourth Supertruck series win.

Glenn Seton won the South Australian Historic Touring Car Cup driving his Ford Capri, winning the first three races and then storming from the back of the grid to third in Race 4. Robert Vanderkamp was Seton’s closest challenger, but his GT Falcon didn’t have the pace of Seton’s Capri in the semi-wet conditions the affected Race 2. Ben Porter won his second consecutive Australian Formula Vee title, beating Daniel Reinhardt. Although the racing was close in the dry conditions for Races 1 and 3, Porter annihilated the opposition in Race 2, lapping two seconds faster than most of the field to take a 16-second win. Steve Kwiatkowski won all three Saloon Car races to extend a substantial margin over his main rival, Matt Lovell, with one round remaining. Shawn Jamieson and John Goodacre rounded out the podium in their Commodores, while defending champion Bruce Heinrich finished fourth in Races 2 and 3 after some engine problems early in the weekend.

race

Ash Budd

Champions crowned: Darren Hossack, above, and Bob Middleton, below, were awarded the Superkart and Superruck crowns respectively. Right, Steve Kwiatkowski extended his Saloon Car series lead, while Glenn Seton won the Historics races, bottom.

James Smith

Ash Budd

Marshall Cass

NASCAR SPRINT CUP ROUND 34 – TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY, TX

Carl Edwards didn’t just win in Texas – he outdrove and out-thought the opposition in an emphatic display of domination. By MARTIN D CLARK

MAD

DE IN THE SHADE

NASCAR Media

Counting backwards: Johnson battled handing in the #48 Chevy, above, while Ambrose continued his Cup campaign in th #47 MWR Camry, below.

Courtesy Toyota Motorsport

Edwards hitting the front on lap 57 and leading through pit stops at caution five with 69 laps to run. Edwards restarted seventh on four tyres when many in front took two, including Jamie McMurray, who led until he pitted with 14 laps to the finish. Juan Pablo Montoya was involved in a scary wreck when he was spun into the backstretch wall hard by David Gilliland. Montoya, 10th at the time, admitted bumping the lapped Gilliland as he tried to pass the previous lap. “It’s frustrating when idiots like that get in the way,” commented Montoya. For his transgression, NASCAR parked Gilliland’s Yates Racing Ford for the remainder of the race. “He lifted my rear wheels up a couple of times and when he got by me, I just misjudged it,” remarked Gilliland. Marcos Ambrose qualified a respectable 24th and brought his JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota home a creditable 21st after being involved in a skirmish earlier when Travis Kvapil was bumped by Elliott Sadler. Ambrose was high against the front stretch wall and had nowhere to go, receiving some left-front end damage, which his team repaired on pit road. With only 17 cars on the lead lap, Ambrose was one of only six cars two laps off the pace, losing that second lap with 22 laps remaining.

NASCAR Media

CARL Edwards has closed the gap to Sprint Cup Chase leader Jimmie Johnson to 103 points with two races remaining after a stunning effort in Texas on Sunday. Edwards started 16th, led the most laps and gained 77 points on Johnson, who came home only a lapped 15th after having handling dramas over the first two-thirds of the race in his Hendrick Chevrolet. Jeff Gordon was second ahead Jamie McMurray, Clint Bowyer and Greg Biffle, but the story of the race was not the win, or even the 12-second margin. Edwards gambled on fuel, running an amazing 69 laps after his final fill. Gordon was also running a fuel strategy race but the only other man to roll that dice, Dale Earnhardt Jr, fell way, way short, pitting for a splash with six laps to run. And things got worse when Junior could not refire his car on pitroad. Eventually, he fell from second to 20th. “First he (crew chief Bob Osborne) told me we were two-tenths of a lap shy,” said Edwards post-race. “Then he told me we were four laps shy. Man, ‘fuel’ was the word of the day. It was probably the wrong call to get four tyres, that strategy put us back and I don’t think we’d have won it on speed. This is very cool.” Pole sitter Gordon led until lap 15, when Clint Bowyer and then David Reutimann spent time leading the pack, with

NASCAR | DICKIE’S 00, TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY, TX 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

99 24 26 07 16 18 29 1 17 44

Carl Edwards Ford Jeff Gordon Chevy Jamie McMurray Ford Clint Bowyer Chevy Greg Biffle Ford Kyle Busch Toyota Kevin Harvick Chevy Martin Truex Jr Chevy Matt Kenseth Ford David Reutimann Toyota

Roush Fenway/Office Depot Q16 Hendrick/Nicorette 1 Roush Fenway/Royal Crown 4 Childress/Jack Daniel’s 3 Roush Fenway/DISHNetwork 18 Joe Gibbs/M&Ms 29 Childress/Shell/Pennzoil 23 DEI/Bass Pro Shops 2 Roush Fenway/DeWalt 6 Waltrip/UPS 12

NASCAR Media

THE CHASE FOR THE SPRINT CUP | points Johnson 6363, Edwards 6260, Biffle 6223, Burton 6154, Gordon 6111, Bowyer 6099, Harvick 6087, Kenseth 5973, Stewart 5959,

Twenty-five years on, Kyle scores 10 NATIONWIDE SERIES

Point standings; Bowyer 4817, Edwards 4726, Keselowski 4524, Ragan 4310, Bliss 4250, (Ambrose 10th 987).

NASCAR Media

KYLE Busch rode his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to his 10th Nationwide series race of the year at Texas Motor Speedway, tying a record set by Sam Ard in 1983. “It means a whole lot,” said Busch of his 10 wins. “Sam Ard is one of the pioneers of this sport, one of the guys who built this deal and to be tied with him and 10 wins, that’s really, really special. He’s suffering with Alzheimer’s and I’m going to give him $100,000 towards helping him out some, to help care for him and everything he’s going through.” Busch started fourth and took the lead from outside polesitter Kevin Harvick to lead 174 of the 200 laps. He held off a late charge from Carl Edwards, who pitted for four tyres under a caution with 21 laps to run. Edwards made up 25 points on Clint Bowyer, who started back in 21st but

rallied to finish sixth. The deficit now stands at 91 with two races remaining. Veteran Mark Martin finished third ahead 18-year-old Joey Logano and David Ragan for fourth. Logano’s result keeps JGR ahead of Richard Childress Racing for the owner’s title. Two late race spins, the first by Juan Pablo Montoya and the second from Penske Racing’s new rookie Justin Allgaier, left a seven-lap shoot out to an exciting finish of what to that point had been just another race. Early leader Kevin Harvick broke a rear axle shaft during the final pit stops and he finished 29th. Marcos Ambrose qualified his JTG Daugherty Racing Ford 25th and finished a resounding ninth to keep his 10th place in series standings well and truly alive. He is now just 12 points behind ninth-placed Jason Leffler.

WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 14 – PORTIMAO, PORTUGAL

Amen

In his f inal MotoGP, Troy Bayliss took a dominant win from pole position. So it was only fitting that his final World Superbike weekend was the

Ducati Corse Press

CHAMPION is a word overused in motor racing but Troy Bayliss showed that it fits with an emphatic goodbye in Portugal. After take Superpole by 2.5s – that’s right, two point five seconds – he dominated Race 1 and might have been excused for taking it easy in his last-ever World Championship ride on a motorcycle. But he stomped on them again, aided by Noriyuki Haga jumping the start in Race 2 and serving a ride-through penalty. In the end, Bayliss had the upside of a Xerox Ducati 1-2 by 3.6s. “This was the perfect end to my racing career, to finish with pole and a double win, an absolute fantastic result,” he said later. “We had a dream start today. I was a little hesitant before Race 1 because none of us had done a lot of laps here so we weren’t sure for the tyres, but I think everyone was pretty much on the same rear. “The gap behind me got bigger and bigger, which surprised me but I heard that there was a big battle behind me which worked to my advantage. I was grateful for that lead though because by the end the rear was finished and Carlos [Checa] was catching me. We changed a few things for the second race and I have to say that bike in Race 2 was the best bike I’ve ever ridden in my career.” The other effect of the Haga penalty – which left him f ighting his way through to 14th – was to ease the pressure on Troy Corser. A strong third in Race 1 left the Aussie in a strong second in the championship and he maintained that result with sixth, to underline a 1-2 championship for the Aussies of Troy. Michel Fabrizio’s second would have done little to make Max Biaggi feel better, the two Italians clashing in Race 1 and Fabrizio apologising profusely. One feature of the weekend was the speed of the British Superbike regulars. Checa had to navigate his way through a herd of Brits to second in Race 1and Leon Haslam found his way to third in Race 2, giving perhaps a preview of what could happen when the post-Bayliss era starts next season.

21, today: Bayliss celebrated one more – and this time, final – World Superbike double victory at Portimao, with the red army from Ducati that has backed him up in so many campaigns.

WSBK

RIDER’S points

Bayliss 460, Corser 342, Haga 327, Checa 313, Neukirchner 311, Nieto 256, Biaggi 238, Fabrizio 223, Kiyonari 206, Xaus 178.

Ducati Corse

SA SPRINTCARS

March as he had his hands full dicing with the talented Luke Dillon. With clear track ahead, Dumesny again opened a clear gap after a large incident disrupted proceedings. Once again Cobby and Green cleared from the bunch as they tried hard to run down the leader as he navigated his way through lapped traffic.

Chris Horne

MAX Dumesny proved too strong, mastering the track and 27 other hopefuls on his way winning the $10,000 prize at the Truckworks Australian Sprintcar Masters at Adelaide’s Speedway City. It had been eight years since Max last claimed the prestigious event and while the win came easy in the end the road to victory proved a hard fought affair with locals Trevor Green, Jamie Cobby and Philip March all taking it to the Valvoline Warrior. Coming from position four, Max quickly worked his way to the front and began to open the smallest of margins over Green and Cobby, who pulled slightly ahead of

Ash Budd

Master Max

Flippin: Luke Bowey completely destroyed his Sprintcar with a huge wreck at Speedway City.

Over the duration, the race was plagued by several yellow periods as others, including Cobby and March, fell by the wayside. With six laps remaining, Green got the jump on Max at the restart to hit the lead and the crowd went wild as the local boy edged his car in front. However, this was short-lived as a determined Dumensy passed Green and from that point on it was Max on the express route to victory lane. Green held on for second edging out the fast finishing duo David Murcott and Matt Egel over Dillon, finishing where he started in fifth. Steven Lines, Ricky Maiolo and Glen Sutherland were next, followed by the Bordertown duo of Wayne Rowett and Dylan Jenkin. – PARIS CHARLES

race

Maher dedicates victory John Morris/ Mpix

NSW SPRINTCARS

three finishers in the A Main took heat wins. Wins went to Ian Burrows (two wins), Reed, Dumesny, Grant Tunks, Trevor Wishart, Warren Ferguson and Gary Hahn. The C Main saw Matt Hinton take the win while Roddy BellBowen took out the B Main. Although there were 47 Sprintcars at the meeting, people were still tense after

Darley’s death two weeks earlier. After a tribute to Scott at the meeting opening, with Track chaplain Rev Garry Colman speaking, the night did feature a couple of crashes. Flipping over during the evening were Steve Caunt, Michael Sammut, Dumesny and Warren Ferguson, Fortunately no one was hurt. – GREG BOSCATO

John Morris/ Mpix

SYDNEY’S Adrian Maher scored a superb Sprintcar victory last Saturday night at the Parramatta City Raceway, dedicating the win to the memory of Scott Darley. Maher took the win over Kelly Linigen, with team-mate and Parramatta track Champ Ian Loudoun third. The 30-lap A Main looked to be Matthew Reed’s after the Victorian star had built up almost a half-a-lap lead over Maher but with just 13 laps to run, Reed made a mistake in lapped traffic and spun out, giving the lead to Maher. After forgingthrough the field, Mitchell Dumesny closed onto Maher’s tail but after a hasty rebuild from a heat race crash, vibration from a front wheel packed with clay saw the #77 Maxim’s diff bolts work

loose and it was all over with just two laps remaining. That gave Linigen second and a fast-finishing Loudoun powered into third after blasting by Ian Madsen. Martin Lawes and Mick Turner completed the top six. “I’m especially happy for the Darley family,” Maher told eNews after his victory. “We tried our best for them. People say you turn off like a switch and forget about it, well you don’t! The last 10 laps I got complacent and I’m glad Mitch showed that he was there. “I’ve never wanted to win as much as that before. For the family, I didn’t want to mess it up so that’s why I rolled off the gas until someone like Mitch came along.” Loudoun set quick times in qualifying from Linigen and Maher. Interestingly the top

In this issue of GPWEEK

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USUALLY, we can find a spot in the front of eNews to advise you what is in GPWeek and invite you to click here for all your Formula 1, World Rally and MotoGP needs. This week, as Borat might say, not so much. We got swamped with all our local news and for that reason, we are running this up the back this week.

Race(s) of Champions Of course, part of the problem is the late-night ‘jet lag’ prompted by the end of the Brazilian Grand Prix. Felipe Massa won the World Championship – for about 38 seconds, by which time Lewis Hamilton had managed to secure one more position to put his name on the 2008 trophy. To his eternal credit,

Massa took the crushing blow like a champion, and was warm with congratulations for his McLaren rival. Amid all the fuss, Fernando Alondo was second and Kimi Raikkonen third, guaranteeing Ferrari the Constructor’s crown. Mark Webber was ninth. Over in Japan, Sebastien Loeb put his hands on the

World Champion’s trophy or the fifth – yep, fifth – time, but he did not take it in winning style. The Frenchman was third, well behind Mikko Hirvonen (who won for the third time this season) and Jari-Matti Latvala. The race for the Makes will go to the final even of the season in Wales, and Chris Atkinson took a fine fourth in his Subaru.

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